Time's End
by gothgrrl13
Summary: On his knees, begging, Vlad Masters is given another chance. A new life, where he doesn't remember his old one. Or so it would seem... (on-going project)
1. Chapter 1

**a quick author's note:** hello, this is a working project i've been working on for quite some time. it was inspired by this danny phantom fan-webcomic that sadly never got updated.

tbh, this was just something during "phannimay", this themed- fandom thing phans were doing on tumblr. i wasn't going to turn it into some chapter-story but people really liked it so i just kept going at it.

on tumblr, i call it the "rebirth!au", but here it will be called "time's end", until i think up a better title. unless you guys like that title.

anyway! please read and enjoy, and tell me what you think of it!

* * *

The vast emptiness of blackness and stars was going to drive Vlad to madness. Although, he has already achieved madness so is it possible to go even more mad? He has no home now, no friends, nothing. He, himself, is now nothing.

Loneliness is now his companion once again, and dreaded silence of space along with it. Now a broken man, Vlad showed no shame in breaking down into anguished tears. He screamed first, going as loud as he can for there was no one to shut him up.

He cursed Daniel, he cursed Jack, he even cursed Maddie, but soon he started cursing himself. For being a fool, an idiot. Falling to his knees, he sobbed.

"I just want..." He said to himself through the blobbed tears.

"Another chance?"

He quickly turned and saw Clockwork before him. The wise old ghost floated near to him, extended his hand and wiped away the floating tears off Vlad's face. Clockwork smiled at him, a little pleased to see the shocked look on Vlad's face.

"I can help you, Vladimir. I regret not helping you before, for I could of prevented this fate for you. Though, I can only help you halfway. You must choose the right path or you will end up in this state again. Cold, alone and afraid. Do you understand?" Clockwork said, staring down at the broken half-ghost.

"Yes," Vlad whispered, "Yes, please. I'll do anything. _Anything._"

"Good. Now please relax and close your eyes." Clockwork commanded.

Vlad nodded and did what he was told to do. He shut his eyes, breathing nervously. He felt the gentle hands of Clockwork's brushing against his face and eyes. He relaxed under the soft touches, his breathing becoming slower.

Clockwork hovered close to him, his lips against Vlad's ear. It felt like a kiss to Vlad but he was now in a daze. The last thing he heard was Clockwork's dark whisper in his ear.

"_**Redo."**_

* * *

His eyes opened wide and he sat up abruptly, panting and sweating. He blinked, rubbing his eyes and looked around. He was in a bedroom. His bedroom...? A few posters of rock bands, a bookshelf filled with novels, textbooks and comic books. A t.v. set with a video game system hooked up to it. A football with an autograph on it on a cheap plastic pedestal.

"Vince! Wake up, dinner's almost ready!"

"No kid, stay up there! Your mom's trying new veggie recipes again!"

"Tucker! Honestly!"

"What? I'm just trying to save your poor kid's stomach, Sam!"

Vince? Oh right, that's his name. Crawling out of bed, he slipped on the slippers by his desk. He looked up and saw his reflection in the mirror hanging by his door. Blue eyes, long black hair with a strange white streak running in the middle. He touched his chin, bewildered. Didn't he have a...? No, he's trying to grow one but his mother keeps making him shave.

Dressed in a set of sweats with a t-shirt of the logo of the Green Packers, his favorite football team, he existed his bedroom and went down the stairs. He was greeted by two adults he knew all his life.

His mother, Samantha and her boyfriend, who will eventually become his father, Tucker, a young black man with a funny sense of humor. Sam smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

"Hey there. You've been asleep for an awful long time. Are you okay? You're not sick, are you?" She asked.

"He looks fine, Sam. You know teenagers. They can sleep through the whole day with no worries." Tucker said with a smirk.

Sam checked his forehead anyway, always being the worried mother. "You do feel a little warm and sweaty..."

"I'm, I'm fine..." Vince said softly, almost surprised by his own voice. "I just had, a weird dream, that's all."

"Oh? What kind of dream?" Sam asked.

"Um, I think I was in space. And I was stuck there...and it sucked." Vince said, looking worried.

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other, confused. Tucker gave Vince a pat on the back, smiling. "Hey, it was just a dream, kiddo. Maybe you ate something weird before you took your nap. That used to happen to me a lot back when I was your age."

"If it'll make you feel better, we can look it up in my dream dictionary later, sweetie." Sam said and placed a kiss on top of Vince's head.

"That stuff is just a load of crap, Sam. It was just a weird dream." Tucker said, rolling his eyes.

Sam frowned and gave her boyfriend a smack on the arm. "Now go wash up for dinner. I made eggplants with rice and spinach." Sam said as she walked back to the kitchen.

Tucker gave Vince a nudge and whispered, "Don't worry, I got us hot dogs we can eat later." He winked at him and followed Sam to the kitchen.

Vince saw the two share a kiss and he went to sit by the table. It was set for all of them but he noticed something. An extra plate.

"M-Mom?" He called out, for some reason feeling weird for calling her that.

"Yes, Vince?" Sam called back.

"Is someone else coming for dinner?" Vince asked.

"Yeah, an old friend me and Tucker knew back in high school. I told you this morning, Vince. Don't you remember?"

Vince stared at the extra plate and felt a twist in his gut. A bad feeling but yet exciting at the same time. A flash went off in his head. Two figures...fighting each other? One young and one old...?

Vince shook his head, running his hand through his hair. He stared at the extra plate once more. He just knew something bad was going to happen.


	2. Chapter 2

As Sam pulled out the eggplants from the oven, placing them on the stove, she felt a pair of arms go around her waist and a kiss on her neck. She smiled knowingly as she took off her oven mitts. She turned to see Tucker grinning at her, holding her close to him.

"Are you trying to butter me up so you won't eat my cooking?" Sam teased.

"Mmmm, maybe." Tucker teased back.

"Well, you can try all you want, you're still eating what I made. And don't think I didn't see the hot dogs you tried to hide in my fridge, Tucker." Sam mused, giving her boyfriend a smirk.

He pouted and gave out a defeated sigh. "Alright, fine. You win, as usual."

Sam smiled and kissed the tip of Tucker's nose. Tucker smiled back, his hand going to her's, lightly touching the ring on her ring finger. Sam leaned back against him, staring down at her ring.

"We still need to pick a date, you know." She said.

"I know. I was thinking summer wedding. How about you?" Tucker asked, lifting her hand up and placing a kiss on it.

"An outdoor one? With plenty of shade, of course." Sam offered.

"Of course. Don't want my girl's delicate skin getting burned." Tucker chuckled.

"Vince can be the ring boy." Sam said with a smile.

"I wouldn't have any other way." Tucker agreed.

"And Dan-" Sam stopped. She looked away with a small frown. Tucker frowned as well and gently turn her face to look at his. She gave out a sigh, looking at Tucker.

"You worried about the visit?" Tucker asked.

"It's been so long since we've seen him." Sam softly said.

"I know, but we were the ones who wanted to move, Sam." Tucker said.

"I know..." Sam sighed.

Sam turned around and hugged Tucker. He hugged her back, keeping her close. "Hey, I bet when he gets here, it'll be like the old times again. We'll be laughing and joking together in no time." Tucker said.

"I hope so. We did leave after that fight..." Sam said in a soft tone.

"That was years ago, Sam. Maybe he's forgotten by now." Tucker said with a shrug.

"I doubt it." Sam said, rolling her eyes.

Tucker lifted up Sam's chin and smiled at him. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be alright." He leaned down, kissing her. Sam softly sighed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him. The kiss began to get deeper and Tucker lifted her up, placing her on the kitchen counter.

Sam gave out a small moan, almost wrapping her legs around him before remembering where she was. She gently pushed Tucker away, chuckling. "Hey, calm down. Don't forget my kid's in the next room."

"He won't know if we stay quiet." Tucker whispered, wiggling his eyebrows.

Sam laughed, giving Tucker a smack. "Go keep him company while I finish up here, you loser."

Tucker gave Sam a dramatic pout, making her giggle. He grinned at her and gave her one last kiss before existing the kitchen. He walked to the dining room, where Vince was. The kid looked like he was in a confused daze.

He sat next to him, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Hey there, kiddo! You okay?"

Vince jumped at the pat and looked at him. "Yeah, I-I'm fine." He mumbled, looking away.

Tucker lift an eyebrow at him. Vince was acting unusually jumpy. The kid normally gives him a sarcastic remark, rolling his eyes, like his mother would do.

"You still freaked out by that dream you had?" Tucker asked.

Vince shrugged. He glanced back to Tucker, absentmindedly folding the napkin on his lap. "I'm more worried about the visitor that's coming over soon."

"You are?" Tucker asked, confused. What, does Sam share same brainwaves with her own kid? Tucker sighed, shaking his head.

"Don't be. You met him before anyway!" Tucker said.

Vince dropped his napkin and stared at Tucker, eyes widen. Tucker didn't catch the shocked look on Vince's face as he continued. "I mean, you were still a little baby last time he saw you, but that still counts."

Vince blinked and stared down at his lap. "Oh." He mumbled, feeling a little silly.

"You're gonna love him. Him and me used to joke around all the time. It was the best!" Tucker said, trying to cheer Vince up.

The teenager just shrugged, going back to folding his napkin. The doorbell went off and Vince's head shot up, turning to the door. Tucker clapped his hands together, smiling.

"Alright, he's here!"

He got up, walking to the door. Vince stared as her mother's boyfriend went to unlock the door. He felt a twinge of fear go up his spine. He quickly got up and rushed to the kitchen.

"Tucker!"

"Oh man, Danny! Ain't you a sight for sore eyes!"


	3. Chapter 3

Vince entered the kitchen, the distances voices of Tucker and the visitor coming from the living room. Sam smiled when she saw her son, holding the bowl of salad. She frowned though when she noticed Vince looked troubled.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked.

"Um," Vince began nervously, coming up with a lie, "I'm not hungry. Is it okay if I just stay in my room for the rest of the night?"

Sam gave Vince a look, the look that mothers give to their children when they know they're hiding something. Vince smiled nervously. His stomach betrayed him when it gave out a low growl.

"Not hungry, huh?" Sam asked, lifting up a brow.

Vince shamefully looked down, trying to cover up his blushing face. Sam smiled and ruffled his hair. She turned him around, undoing his ponytail to fix it up.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong now?" She asked as she used her fingers to gentle untangled the knots in Vince's hair.

Vince was quiet as he felt his mother's hands in his hair. He didn't know what to tell her. For some reason, everything felt off to him and he didn't know why. He just shrugged at her.

Sam sighed as she tied his hair back into the neatly-done ponytail. She turned him around to face him. "Are you worried about our visitor?" She asked.

Vince chewed on his bottom lip, looking away. Sam tilted her head. "Don't worry. Tucker and I will try not to bore you too much while we catch up with him.

I just want you to be nice, say hi, eat dinner with us and then you can hide away in your room. Alright?"

Vince looked at his mother and agreed with a small nod. He closed his eyes when he felt her kiss his forehead. Sam handed him the bowl of salad as she grabbed the eggplant. He noticed his mother gave out a sigh, as if she was preparing herself. Maybe she was nervous about this visitor too.

They entered into the dining room, placing the food on the table. Vince glanced and saw the back of the visitor. Rather tall, looks a bit muscular but not too skinny, messy short black hair. When he turned around, Vince saw the bright blue eyes. He seen those eyes before, he can't remember where...

Sam smiled at him and the visitor smiled back. Tucker grinned at the both and watched as they embraced each other in a tight hug. They moved apart from each other, holding hands.

"Wow, you look beautiful, Sam."

"Thanks, Danny. You look like you haven't changed a bit."

They hugged each other once more. Danny perked when he noticed Vince and grinned. "Is that who I think it is?"

Sam moved away from Danny to place her hands on Vince's shoulders, pushing him closer to Danny. "Vince, this is Danny." She introduced.

Danny looked down at Vince, smiling. "Hey, look at you. You've grown so much last time I saw you. Of course, last time I saw you, you were still so...tiny."

Vince stared at Danny. His blue eyes bared into his, and he felt uncomfortable. Something wasn't right about him, Vince just knew it. Instead of answering him, Vince moved away and went behind Sam, staying quiet. It was a childish thing to do, hiding behind your mother, but Vince didn't know what else to do.

The three adults stared at Vince, confused. Sam gave out an embarrassed chuckle and shrugged. "He's just shy." She said, glancing back to her son.

"So! How about we start eatin', huh?" Tucker exclaimed, breaking the awkward silence.

So dinner began, and Vince ate his meal quietly, staring at Danny as the three adults chatted about "the old days". They laughed and joked as they drank their wine. Vince just sipped on soda his mother poured for him.

Ever since he woke up from his nap, Vince has been feeling a state of paranoia. _Something_ was wrong but he couldn't put his finger on it. He poked his eggplant around, frowning.

He felt someone shaking his arm and he looked up. His mother looked a bit annoyed with him. "Vince, Danny was asking you something." She said.

"Oh." Vince mumbled and turned to the man.

Danny smiled at him, chuckling. "It's alright, Sam. So Vince, you're in high school, right?"

Is he? Oh right, he's a freshman. He nodded, poking his food around.

"Are you into any sport teams or anything like that?" Danny asked.

He tried to join the football team. They said he was too short. Vince shook his head at Danny.

"What's your favorite subject?"

Why is he asking so many unnecessary questions? He just shrugged, hoping the man would leave him alone. He didn't noticed Sam looked upset by how he was answering Danny.

"How about hobbies, Vince? Got any?"

_'Shut up, shut up, shut up and leave me alone, you stupid annoying badger.'_ Vince blinked, confused by his thoughts. Why badger...? He glanced over to Danny then to his mother, who looked very annoyed with him now.

"Um," Vince mumbled, "I like to...read?"

"Me too! I usually read about outer space and the planets. You into that kind of stuff?" Danny asked.

Vince deeply frowned at the mention of space. Small flashes from that dream he had came to his head. He stabbed his eggplant rather harshly.

"I despise anything that has to do with space." He answered quite darkly.

Another wave of awkward silence filled the room. Tucker, once again, broke it off. "So, uh, Sam and I were thinking of having our wedding in the summer!"

Danny turned to Tucker with a grin. "Really? That's great! You guys decided where?"

"Not really." Sam answered as she took a needed sip of wine.

"Hey! You guys should have it in Amity Park!" Danny said excitedly.

Sam nearly choked on his wine and quickly wiped her mouth away with a napkin. "Oh, I don't really know about that..."

"C'mon, it's romantic enough, right? Getting married in the town you guys met and grew up together? It'll be great! You guys can even stay with me!" Danny offered with much enthusiasm.

Vince glanced over to his mother, wanting to say no to her. Sam and Tucker awkwardly smiled. "You know what? We'll think about it!" Tucker said. Sam cast a quick glare to Tucker before smiling back at Danny.

Dinner was finally over and Vince helped his mother cleared the table and clean the dishes. He continued staying away from Danny. Once the chore was done, Vince quickly made his way to the stairs.

"Hey, it was nice meeting you again, Vince!" Danny said, waving.

Vince only frowned and went up the stairs. Danny sighed, putting his arm down. Sam was next to him, also frowning at her son's behavior.

"I think your kid hates me, Sam." Danny joked.

"No, no. He's normally not like this. He wasn't really having a good day today, you know?" Sam said with a sigh.

Danny hummed in agreement, remembering how it was back when he was a teenager. He looked over at Sam, rubbing the back of his head. "So...are you really gonna think about it?" He asked.

Sam looked over to Danny, knowing what he was talking about. She rubbed her arm, shrugging. "I don't know, Danny. I mean, is it safe...to go back?"

"Sam, you know I keep Amity Park safe. I always have. I just...I just miss you guys, that's all." Danny said softly.

"I miss you too." Sam whispered. Danny placed his hand on her shoulder. "Please think about it." He said. Sam just answered with another sigh.

* * *

Vince laid on his bed, staring up at his ceiling. He heard a knock on his door. "Come in." He said softly. Sam came inside, closing the door behind her.

Vince turned away, now staring at his wall. He felt the bed shift a bit as his mother sat down on it. He felt her hand gently petting his head.

"You know, you were being kind of rude to my friend tonight." Sam said, still petting his head.

"I'm sorry." Vince mumbled.

"You've been acting strange all night. Are you sure you're okay?" Sam asked.

_'No.' _He thought. "I'm fine." He answered.

He felt the bed shift around and his mother's arms going around him, pulling him close to her. This felt familiar. She does this when she knows he's upset about something. Her chin was resting on his head as she continued holding him.

"Vince, do you think you'd mind if Tucker and I got married in our old hometown?" She softly asked.

_'I don't wanna stay with that guy. He gives off weird vibes to me and I don't know why.'_

"I don't mind, Mom. I just want you to be happy." Vince answered.

Sam kissed the top of his head, smiling. "Thank you, baby."

"I'm not a baby..." Vince muttered.

"Oh yes you are. You're _my_ baby, baby." Sam teased and gave Vince a tickle, making the teen chuckle.

"Oh!" Sam exclaimed, remembering. "How about we find out what that strange dream of yours meant?"

Vince made a face, looking away. He rather just forget about the dream and now he wished he never mentioned about it. He felt his mother get off the bed and go through the books in his bookshelf.

Sam sat back down on the bed, flipping through the pages in the book. Vince turned around, looking up at his mother. He crawled a little closer, perching his arms up to get a better look.

"Let's see, you dreamed you were in outer space. Which means the dream may be a metaphor that something or someone came out of nowhere." Sam began, reading the book.

'_That explains the visitor.' _Vince thought.

"You said you were stuck too so that could also mean you have a feeling of helplessness and not being able to escape life's problems or stresses." Sam read.

Vince frowned, drumming his fingers on his cheek. How very odd. "How about dreaming that you're lost?" He asked.

Sam flipped the pages in the book and read, "To dream that you are lost suggests that you have lost your direction in life or that you have lost sight of your goals."

Vince's frown got deeper and he rolled away. "Never mind, Mom. Perhaps Tucker was right and it was just a stupid dream."

Sam closed the book, placing it on Vince's night table. She gently patted his head. "Weird dream or not, all those things do sound troublesome. You know if anything is bothering you, you can tell me."

Vince sighed and just nodded. Sam gave him a hug and placed a kiss on his cheek. She blew a rassberry, making the boy burst out in laughter and pushing her away. "Mom!" He complained, wiping his cheek.

"Good night, baby." She said, winking. She left the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Vince rolled his eyes. He laid back down on the bed, staring at his ceiling. Maybe he was just thinking too hard. Even if the visitor caused some strange feelings, maybe Vince was overreacting. He tends to do that sometimes.

He yawned and crawled under his bedsheets. Yeah, that was it. He was just thinking too hard. He leaned over to his night table and flipped his lamp off.

That night, he had another dream. Only this time, it was a nightmare. But the nightmare also felt like a lost memory.


	4. Chapter 4

It was dark and it was cold. He looked around, confused. Where was he? He looked down to the ground, finding himself standing on nothing. Frightened, he backed away, looking around. There was no light but he could easily see his own hands.

"H-Hello?" He called out, hoping for a voice to answer back.

Nothing called back to him. He rubbed his arms, shivering. Unknown to him, a pair of red glowing eyes was floating about in this strange abyss.

"_Who are you?" _A voice asked, making the small boy jump.

Looking around for whoever called out, he hesitantly answered. "Vince. Vince Manson. Who are you?"

It was quiet and then the voice whispered, _"That's not your name..."_

He blinked, confused. "E-Excuse me?"

"_Who are you?"_

"I already told you! Who are _you _and where am I?" Vince called out.

"_Nowhere." _the voice answered. _"Who are you?"_

"What do you mean, nowhere? And I already said my name is Vince!"

"_I didn't ask for your name. I asked, who are you?"_

Still confused, Vince continued looking around for where the voice was coming from. "I'm afraid I don't understand your question then. Please, what did you mean by nowhere?"

"_You're in nowhere. Nothing exists here. Just darkness and the cold. So lonely here..."_ The voice answered.

"Why am I here?" Vince asked.

"_I don't know. Why __**are **__you here?" _The voice asked. _"Who are you?"_

"Stop asking me that! And I don't know why I'm here! Please, I wanna get out of here. I wanna go home!" Vince cried out.

"_What's waiting for you at home?" _The voice asked.

"M-My mother..." Vince answered.

Silence filled the nothingness, then a small dark chuckle. Vince was still shivering as it felt like it just gotten colder. The pair of red eyes floated around, the voice still chuckling.

"_**What**__ mother?"_ the voice asked.

"_My _mother..." Vince answered. "A-And her boyfriend...who she's going to marry soon, so he's eventually going to become my father."

"_There's suppose to be **nothing** waiting for you back home. Queer little boy, who are you?"_

Vince glared, getting annoyed and fed up. "I'm Vince Manson!"

"_Are you sure?"_

"Of course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be?" Vince cried out.

The voice gave out a low hiss and a shiver of fear ran up Vince's spine. He continued hugging himself. It was getting colder now, so cold he can see his own breath. He didn't like this at all. He wanted to go home.

"_You know what's dull? Space. Who gives a bother about the stars and the planets?"_ The voice lowly hummed.

Vince breathed slowly, looking around in the cold darkness. Something was up. This stranger knew something.

"_The stranger is a foe. Beware of him..." _The voice said.

Stranger...? Did the voice mean...? Vince looked around frantically, his breathing going faster from the fear of this voice. "Who are you?!" He called out again.

"_Who are **you**?"_

"Stop asking me that! I don't _know!_"

"_What was that?"_

"I...I-I don't know."

Quiet again, saved for Vince's panting. He gulped, holding himself close. It was getting too cold now. He wanted out. He wanted to go home. He was close to tears.

A figure was behind him and crept up close to him. The figure leaned over and hissed in Vince's ear.

"_**I know who you are."**_

Vince jumped and turned around. Before him was a creature. Red demon eyes with fangs sharp enough to cut. The creature wickedly smiled at him, laughing and Vince screamed.

He got up with a start, panting. He was in his room, and it was still the middle of the night. He stumbled out of bed, rushing to the bathroom. He switched on the light and stared at the mirror. He turned on the sink and splashed water on his face. He clutch to the sink, still panting.

He heard a knock, startling himself, dropping the toothbrushes and toothpaste on the floor. He cracked the door open to see his mother in her night-robe, frowning. She looked sleepy but worried.

"Are you okay?" She whispered.

Vince threw the door opened and went into his mother's arms. Confused, Sam wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his back soothingly. Vince held on tightly to her, covering up the fact that he was almost in tears again.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked again, a little louder this time.

Vince just shook his head. Sam pulled back from the hug, worriedly frowning at her son. She took his hand and they both went to the kitchen, where Sam made them tea.

They both drank in silence as the kitchen clock ticked-tocked. Sam yawned, placing her mug down. "Feel better?" She asked.

"A little." Vince answered softly.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong?" She asked quietly.

"Nothing. I just had...a-a nightmare." Vince said, casting his eyes away.

"You sure that's all?" His mother asked.

Vince nodded, not wanting to press on the matter. He didn't want to tell her what the nightmare was about. He wasn't too sure himself. Sam sighed as she grabbed their empty mugs, placing them in the sink.

"Well, as long as you're okay, Vince." She said. Sam went over to Vince, placing a kiss on his head. "Get some sleep, you have school in the morning." She whispered.

"I will." Vince whispered back.

He watch his mother walk back to her bedroom, giving out another yawn. He softly sighed, rubbing his eyes. In the back of his mind, he could hear the ominous voice again.

"_**What** mother...?"_

Vince looked back, watching his mother go up the stairs. He deeply frowned. He walked back to his room, lying on his bed. He stared at the ceiling. He didn't get any sleep that night.


	5. Chapter 5

"Is it true your mom and her boyfriend are getting married?"

Vince turn to his right locker neighbor, just some girl in his history class. He gave her a nod and she smiled. "Oh my gosh, are you nervous about it? I would be."

He shrugged. "Not really. I've known my mother's boyfriend for years, so he's kind of like a father to me anyway. They're just finally dropping the boyfriend/girlfriend name and changing it to wife/husband."

"When are they getting married?"

"Sometime in the summer."

"Oh, that's soon since summer vacation starts next week. Where are they getting married?"

"Amity Park."

She softly gasped, covering her mouth in shock. "_Amity Park?_ But that place is..."

Vince turned to her, curious. "That place is what?"

"That place is _haunted._"

The two turned to Vince's left locker neighbor, some girl in his math class. Vince raised a brow at her. "Haunted?"

"Ye-ah. You never heard the stories about Amity Park?" Left locker neighbor asked. Vince shook his head.

"People say that place is crawling with evil ghosts and spirits. You gotta be crazy to even live there." Right locker neighbor said.

"People doing satanic rituals and sacrifices to please the ghosts. It's like backwards town over there." Left locker neighbor said.

"No, that's not true. I heard the government is involved and it has something to do with science experiments." Right locker neighbor said.

"Whatever. It's still a creepy place to be." Left locker muttered, opening her locker to pull out her textbooks.

"Why on earth does your mother and her boyfriend wanna get married _there?_" Right locker neighbor asked Vince.

"...They grew up there." Vince answered quietly.

"They actually lived in Amity Park and are still _alive?_ I wouldn't push their luck and go back." Left locker neighbor said, closing her locker.

Vince shrugged. "A friend of theirs invited us over and gave them the idea..."

"Well, if you all come back alive, tell me about the creepy crap they have over there." Right locker neighbor said as she walked away with her books in hand.

Vince stared down, looking troubled. He felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced up to his left locker neighbor. She smiled a little.

"I'm sure it won't be so bad. I mean, all I heard was stories about the place anyway. I don't think all of them are true." She reassured.

"And besides," She whispered, leaning close to Vince, "I also heard there's this superhero-kind of guy who protects the town."

"Superhero?" Vince questioned.

"Yeah, I forget his name though. Inviso-something or whatever. Apparently he's a ghost too, or sort of...? I dunno, but he protects the town! So maybe you and your mom and her boyfriend won't die this summer!" She said with a smile.

Vince gave her a dry stare. "Gee, thanks." He said sarcastically.

"You're welcome!" She beamed, not catching the sarcasm at all. The school bell rang and she waved goodbye, hurrying to her class.

Vince looked inside his locker, gathering his books as he sighed. Haunted town, superhero, ghosts... A strange shiver went up his spine and he shook his head.

"All nonsense. What do I gotta do to even get attention from this "superhero"? Get an Ouija board? There's no such things as ghosts anyway." Vince darkly muttered and slammed his locker door shut.

As he made his way to his class, in the back of his mind, somewhere far and dark. The figure with the red eyes gave out an amused hiss of a chuckle. The poor child was in for the ride of his life this coming summer.


	6. Chapter 6

It was still dark out as Tucker was putting in the last of the luggage in the trunk of the car. Sam was in the front seat, drinking her coffee in a daze as Vince was in the back, his head leaning against the window. With great effort, Tucker was able to close the trunk of the car. Dusting his hands off with a grin, he went to the driver seat.

"Alright!" He cheerfully exclaimed. "Who's ready for our road trip?"

Sam and Vince answered back simultaneously with a deadpan groan. Tucker gave them dry looks and Sam glanced over to him, still nursing her black coffee. "Sweetie, it's a little too early for us right now."

"It's only three in the morning!" Tucker argued.

"Why are we leaving this early anyway?" Vince grumpily mumbled, glaring.

"Because your future daddy gets lost easily." Sam answered back, smirking.

"Ha ha, Sam. Not to worry though! I got a road map, I printed out driving directions _and_ I updated my GPS. We're not gonna get lost, I promise!" Tucker said confidently.

Sam glanced back to her son, who glanced back at her. Okay, made sense they're leaving this early then. Vince sighed, rubbing his eyes. The car started to run and they were backing out of the driveway.

It was a few weeks since summer vacation started. After many "private conversations" as his mother put it, though it was more like loud discussions about where to have the wedding, they finally decided to have it Amity Park. They made phone calls, had work on invitations, whereabouts of where the wedding will be held, all that crazy stuff.

Now they were driving to Amity Park since getting there by car would be more easier, as Tucker put it. Just an excuse to drive anyway. Vince whined about just taking a plane but his mother and her fiance didn't want to.

So now he was going to be stuck in an over-packed car with his mother and her future husband. He didn't have the heart to tell his mother how he's not excited about this trip. He honestly does want her to be happy, but these turn of events.

The stranger who was their old friend, the strange flashes in his head, the odd dreams and the nightmares. Not to mention the rumors about Amity Park. Vince tried questioning his mother about it but since she was too busy about the wedding, he let it go.

Vince watched the passing houses lit by the dim streetlamps, which became more and more less as they drove on. He heard his mother softly calling to him and he turned his attention to her. She was smiling at him, a sleepy look on her face.

"How about you go to sleep, baby? I'll wake you up when we stop somewhere to eat." She said.

Vince sighed and nodded. He made himself as comfortable as he could and closed his eyes. He heard the radio turn on as someone was turning the dial on it. It stopped on one station and soft music was playing.

Vince begged in the back of his mind that he did not get a nightmare during this road trip. They've been getting worse lately and he hasn't told his mother about it. He hasn't told anybody about it. Just moments of peace during this trip was all he asked for.

Vince fell asleep by the smooth rocking of the car and the soft music coming from the radio. Sam glanced through the mirror and she sighed. She looked over to Tucker, who looked over to her with a smile.

"We'll be getting married soon." He whispered to her.

"I know, it's crazy." She whispered back.

"Nervous?" He asked.

"A little but not about the wedding." She answered back. "Tucker, are you sure it's a good idea to go back?"

"Hey, c'mon. It'll be fun. We'll get to show Vince where we used to hang out and stuff when we were his age." Tucker said.

Sam smiled and leaned over to kiss Tucker's cheek. She turn back to check Vince, who was still sleeping. She sighed and turned back, leaning back on her seat and closing her eyes.

"Nothing's gonna change my world..." She softly sang along with the song on the radio.

As hours went by, they drove past a sign.

"_You are now leaving Wisconsin!"_


	7. Chapter 7

The car ride was long, hectic and at times, got extremely boring. They got lost twice, for the GPS froze up, the directions got spilled with coffee and the road map got shredded by accident. It was almost like there was some kind of force stopping them from going to their destination.

But they finally arrived to the small town, since Sam asked directions from a couple of friendly truckers. Vince will never understand how his mother can easily make friends with people who look like they can break you into two. Vince was staring out the car window, as they drove into the town.

"_**Amity Park: A Nice Place To Live!"**_

Vince frowned at the sign as they drove past it. _'That's not very reassuring.'_ He thought, still looking out the window.

He stared at the buildings and such as they continued driving. The town was giving off a strange vibe to Vince. Almost a familiar vibe, like perhaps he's been here before? But that was impossible. Vince never left his home state before so why would he feel like he's been to this town before?

He heard Tucker chuckle and saying, "Wow, it's like nothing's changed!"

A teenager on a skateboard skated past them and Vince stared as the teen gave him a look. He frowned, resting his head on his hands. The town people look pretty normal, just doing things people would do.

They made a turn, entering a neighborhood. The houses looked decent. Sort of bland and this neighborhood had all the houses almost looking exactly alike. This made Vince a little uneasy since back at home, the closest neighbor was a mile away.

"Here we are!"

The car came to a stop and the engine turned off. Vince looked out through the other car window and his frown deepen. Out of all the houses, the house they parked in front of was the strangest.

It had something on the roof, and other strange devices on it. A large sign with an arrow saying "Fenton Works" and the arrow seem to be pointing to the front door. Vince sank in his seat. He wanted to go home.

"C'mon Vince, out of the car." His mother said, opening the door. He sighed, unbuckling his seatbelt. He climbed out of the car, stretching. He stared at the house again.

"So, um, he lives here?" He asks quietly, looking at over at his mother.

Sam sighed and nodded. "After his dad retired and moved to Europe, he promised to look over it." She explained.

"Oh." Vince mumbled. Tucker put his arm around Sam and his hand on Vince's shoulder, smiling. "Well? What are we waiting for?" He asks.

They go up the front door and before Sam could ring the doorbell, the door opened. Danny had a big, excited smile on his face. Sam forced a smile back as Tucker had a genuine smile on his. Vince was just looking down, not bothering with eye contact.

"You guys made it!" Danny said.

"Uh, yeah! Here we are!" Sam said, chuckling.

"Sorry it took us a while, Danny. Got a bit lost, which totally wasn't my fault." Tucker said, giving Danny a hug as Danny hugged him back.

"Come in! We'll get your stuff a little later!" Danny said, leading them inside the house.

Vince glanced back at the car. He sighed and followed the adults inside the house. It was rather big but also a little messy. Scattered papers and Vince could see where dust was gathering. He was tuning out the old friends talking among themselves as he continued looking around the house.

The house felt familiar too. He stared at the walls, decorated with family photos and such. He walked into the kitchen, frowning at the dirty sink. He saw a door, guessing that it leads to the basement.

Vince heard a whisper. It was faint but it was close to his ears. It was beckoning him.

"_**Open the door."**_

His hand lingered to the doorknob, his heart beating. Someone grabbed his arm and Vince jumped, letting out a yelp. He looked up to see Danny staring down at him, a stern serious look on his face.

Danny smiled and dragged Vince away from the door. "Sorry kid, but the basement's off limits." He explained, letting Vince go. Vince backed away, bumping into his mother. Sam placed her hands in his shoulders, frowning down at him.

"It's rude to go through things in someone else's house." She scolded.

"Ah, it's okay Sam. The kid was just curious." Danny said, opening the fridge to get some drinks out.

Vince glared at him. He wasn't a "kid". He shrugged off his mother's hands off him and sat down on the chair. Sam and Tucker did the same, thanking Danny when he gave them some juice. Danny held a cup out for Vince, smiling.

"I'm not thirsty." Vince muttered, looking away.

Sam frowned at her son's rudeness as Danny just shrugged at her, putting the cup away. "So hey! I was thinking for dinner, we all go out to eat!" Danny said, leaning against a counter. "I was thinking maybe Nasty Burger?"

Vince held in the sick groan. If he had to eat another fast food burger, he'll throw up. They ate so much fast food junk on the car ride. Sam cleared her throat, smiling at Danny.

"That sounds nice, Danny but we had a little too much of that kind of stuff getting here. I think for now we just need to rest. It did take us a while to get here." She said.

"Oh. Yeah, ha stupid me. Okay, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping then!" Danny said, getting up.

Tucker followed as the two started talking. Vince got up, but got stopped when he felt his mother's hand on his wrist. She was frowning at him, and it was the frown that meant he was in trouble.

"Vince, please try to be more nicer to Danny. We're his guests in his house so can you please be more polite? You know better." She whispered to him.

Vince sighed, holding back the need to roll his eyes. "Okay." He whispered back. She nodded and got up, walking where Tucker and Danny was. Vince frowned, putting his hands in his pockets.

He glanced back at the basement door. He shook his head and went to catch up with the adults. Danny led them upstairs, showing them the bedrooms they'll be staying in.

"Tucker, Sam. You guys can sleep in my parents' old room. The bed's big enough for both of you." He said, showing them the bedroom.

Vince raised a brow at said bed. _'The bed is big enough to fit all of us.' _He thought. Danny placed a hand on Vince's shoulder and Vince looked up at him.

"Vince, you'll be staying in my sister's old room. Don't worry, she moved all her stuff out so it won't be that girly for you." Danny said, chuckling.

Vince scowled at him. "It shouldn't matter if the room's "girly" or not. As long as it has a bed." He said. "A room holds no gender."

Danny blinked and he laughed again. "Wow, he's really your kid, Sam." He said, looking at her.

"Well, he's right, you know." Sam said, crossing her arms.

Vince frowned, blushing. He knew his mother, although probably proud of him for the moment, was probably also upset that he couldn't hold his tongue and just be nice like he promised.

The day went by, they unpacked most of their things, and now was spending the rest of the day relaxing. Vince walked into the room he was staying in, looking around.

Saved for a few trinkets that showed a girl stayed here before, the room was bare. Vince placed his suitcase down and sat on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and laid on the bed with a huge sigh.

He didn't want to be here. He rather be home, in his own bedroom. Home felt safe. Here, in this house, in this town, it didn't felt safe. Thinking about the basement door, Vince worried his lower lip.

He knew something was calling to him. He heard it, and he was listening to it. He was doing what it was telling him to do. What was in the basement? Why is it off limits?

He heard a knock and he lifted his head up to see his mother. Sam smiled at him, looking a bit tired. Vince sat up, the bed squeaking as he did.

"Listen, in a little while, Danny and I will be cooking something for dinner since we don't want to go out to eat. Tucker's taking a nap right now. Do you want to help us or are you going to take a nap as well?"

Vince gave her a shrug. "I'll just relax for a bit. Um, my back hurts and stuff." He answered.

Sam nodded. "Okay. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

"Okay Mom." Vince said.

Sam turn to leave but paused. She turned back to Vince. "I love you." She whispered.

Vince blushed but he smiled back at his mother. "I love you too." He said.

Sam smiled and closed the door behind her. Vince sighed, laying back on the bed. He felt like he should go to sleep but he couldn't. Instead, he dug into his suitcase and pulled out his MP3 Player. He stared at the ceiling as he listened to music.


	8. Chapter 8

Dinner was awkward. At least, it was for Vince. He pushed his food around on his plate as he was forced to listen to his mother, her fiance and their old friend talk among themselves. The food was like the food back home since his mother cooked it but Vince just couldn't eat.

He didn't want to be here. He never wanted to leave home. This town was eerie and Vince knew it was holding certain dark secrets. The other thing was the sense of familiarity he was feeling. Like he's been here before.

But that wasn't possible because this is the first time he has traveled far outside his home, his town, his state. During the road trip, when Vince slept, he didn't have nightmares, thank god. What he had instead were flashes of fuzzy memories that didn't seem to be his.

They didn't felt like they were his, but he felt like he remembered them anyway. It's a strange and indescribable feeling.

Every now and then, Vince would glance to the basement door during dinner. Something was down there, Vince was aware of that. Something that keeps calling to him. He could hear a voice, or what sounded like a voice. It sounded like an airy whisper, so very soft but it was demanding too.

When dinner was finally over, Sam told him to get ready to go to bed. It was getting late and apparently, tomorrow they were going to talk about the wedding and the reception, much to the teenager's delight. He bid Sam and Tucker goodnight and forced a goodnight to Danny.

Vince laid in the bed that was not his, staring up at the ceiling. Waiting for sleep to come. As time went on, his eyes began to get heavy and he finally closed them. He opened them again to see he was in the cold, dark room again.

"Oh no..." He mumbled, looking around.

Not a sound, saved for his breathing. Vince looked around the dark, empty void, his eyes nervously glancing in each direction. He licked his lips and shut his eyes tight, muttering a mantra to himself.

"Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up, please wake-"

"_**You're in his house." **_Came the voice.

Vince gasped, opening his eyes. He looked around, though he knows he won't see whoever is talking to him. Vince nodded, shivering.

"H-He invited us." Vince called out.

"_**Find the portal."**_ The voice hissed.

"W-What?" Vince asked.

"_**The portal to the other world. Find it, go in and find the door."**_

"What in the world a-are you talking about?" Vince asked, looking all around.

"_**I know you have questions. So many questions. I can answer them for you. But you need to open the door and in order for you to open the door is to go through the portal that will take you to the other world."**_

"What portal? What other world?" Vince asked.

"_**The world of the dead."**_ The voice whispered, making shivers go up Vince's spine.

"D-Dead?" Vince whispered.

"_**...ghost world..."**_ The voice softly whispered.

"There's no such things as ghosts. My mother told me so." Vince said, shaking and shivering from the cold and fear.

The voice gave out a dark, amused chuckle. Vince glared at the nothingness as the chuckle echoed all around the dark void. He was beginning to see his own breath as it got colder.

"_**They're all lying to you. They've always had. Find the portal and go in. Find the door and open it. I will be waiting on the other side and I will answer all your questions."**_

"Why should I b-believe in you?" Vince demanded, glaring.

"_**Was I not right about the stranger?"**_ The voice asked.

"About him being...suspicious? I...suppose not..." Vince answered.

"_**I know of the flashes and the obscure memories. I know everything about you that you don't know. And I can tell them all to you when you open the door." **_

"This is all not making any sense." Vince mumbled, rubbing his head. "T-This is just a stupid dream! You're a figment of my stupid imagination!"

"_**I AM AS REAL AS THE FLESH OFF YOUR BONES, YOU INANE LITTLE BOY! I HAVE THE ANSWERS! I KNOW EVERYTHING! THEY'RE KEEPING SECRETS FROM YOU, VLAD!"**_

Vince cringed at the screams, breathing heavily for it felt like he was being shaken to the core. He opened his eyes though, confused. The voice called him by the wrong name.

"My name's not-"

He was in the bedroom. The sun was up, and the sound of birds tweeting was heard by the window. Vince sat up on the bed, pushing back his long hair. He wiped away the sweat from his brow.

"My name's Vince..." He whispered to himself, to be sure of himself. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"My name is Vince Manson. My mother is Sam Manson and she's going to marry Tucker Foley. I'm in Amity Park, in the house of Daniel Fenton. I'm Vince Manson."

He opened his eyes, and heard a small airy whisper.

"_Find the portal."_


End file.
